The last concert of the season in the COC’s free concert season took place in the RBA on Thursday.  It was the farewell concert for Queen Hezumuryango and Wesley Harrison plus a second farewell for Brian Cho and Mattia Senesi.

It started with the duet “Un soave non se che” from Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Mattia at the piano.  It was nicely done with some humour and pathos and a cheeky intervention from Alex Hetherington and Midori Marsh from the peanut gallery.

Art song from Wesley and Brian next with a rather beautiful account of the third of Britten’s Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo and a sensitive version of Schubert’s Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen. This was followed by two Chausson songs from Queen and Brian.  I really think I like Queen more in opera, where the power and richness of her voice are heard to good advantage, but if she’s singing art song French is the way to go!  This was followed by Mattia and Queen with two songs by African-American composer Henry T. Burleigh.

Next up Brian and Mattia in a four hands version of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances No.5.  It was fun.  Two Browning settings by Amy Beach were next with Wesley and Brian producing a highly characterised and emphatic reading before Queen and Brian closed out the printed programme with Saint-Saëns. “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Samson et Delilah which sounded rich and sensuous and showed her at her best.

And then there was “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and pink unicorns danced around the Four Seasons Centre.

And that’s a wrap for 2024/25 in the RBA.

Photo credit: Karen E. Reeves